Like Wildfire

Riddle
Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.

This deadly 8-letter word can really "put people in a frenzy," and for very good reason. If you drop letter 1 and order the rest of the letters like so [8745623], then you get exactly what the word can do. So, if you are affected by it, you had better get a good [65478], or you could be taking a very long [321]!

Hint

The title intimates that this is something that spreads very quickly... it is extremely widespread, as well.

Answer

PANDEMIC

DEM is a Greek root for people. A (PAN- [DEM] -IC) puts people (DEM) in a frenzy (PANIC).